Nationwide Prescription Take-Back Nets 4 Tons in CA

Los Angeles area residents gave up over 8,000 pounds of medicine this past weekend as a part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s first annual Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Program, which is being considered a success by the agency.

The one-day event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, was held locally at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Magic Mountain Parkway. Santa Clarita numbers were not reported specifically, but agencies throughout the state combined to collect 8,190 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs, according to the DEA’s official press release.

Illicit drugs were not accepted, but the project was completely anonymous.

36 local police and sheriff departments hosted 78 different collection locations around Los Angeles. Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties were also included their numbers.

Many agencies in the state are even now considering creating year-round prescription drop-offs. The Santa Clarita station is currently a full-time drop-off.

According to the press release, prescription drug-abuse is on the rise in America, as are over-doses and poisonings. The program is an effort on the part of the DEA to help curb the issue by giving citizens an option for proper disposal, as opposed to what they claim are unsafe methods of flushing drugs down the toilet or throwing them away with garbage.

For more information on a local drop-off site, call the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s in Santa Clarita at (661) 255-1121 or check out the White House website on proper disposal.